Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Preventive Maintenance 101

Preventive maintenance consists of work that is performed on a routine basis to maintain and preserve a good, working condition. Preventive maintenance is often put on the back burner because it means spending money on things that are not failing yet. Many home and business owners wait until something goes wrong before they schedule a professional to come out and look. Waiting until something breaks or a system fails is usually the more expensive route! Simple steps can be taken to prevent many malfunctions from happening, or detect them BEFORE they cause major damage to other areas.

Neglecting your gutters, downspouts, or roof drains can cost you BIG time. Gutters & downspouts are very important to the life of your home because they direct water away from it, helping prevent basement leaks & foundation problems. But, clogged gutters & downspouts can be even more damaging than not having any at all. A back up in your downspouts or gutters can force water into your home, often going unnoticed until serious damage has already been done behind the surface. The good news: it is usually not very expensive to have someone install gutter guards, and/or clean out your gutters and downspouts. If you do not have gutter guards, you should have your gutters & downspouts cleaned at least twice a year, once before winter & once after. If you do have gutter guards, you should brush them off anytime you notice debris collecting on top of them. There are many different types of gutter guards, so please contact your contractor if you are unsure of which will best suit your needs, and your budget.

Paint, Caulk & Seal! If your home has wood, masonite, or cement fiber siding, sealing the exterior of your home with a high quality paint can greatly extend the life of both your exterior & interior surfaces. A high quality latex paint and good caulk job create a vapor barrier, helping to prevent moisture and insects from finding their way into your home. Keeping moisture out helps prevent wood rot, warping, bubbled paint, drywall damage, and mold growth. How often a home or business should be caulked & repainted greatly varies. If the paint or caulk appear to be peeling or cracked, those areas are no longer protected. Loose paint should be scraped away, the surface should be cleaned, caulked, and new paint applied. Also, decks and other high-traffic stained exterior wood surfaces should be sealed annually.

Replace loose or damaged shingles immediately! Your roof protects everything under it from damage, including your furniture. When your roof leaks, NOTHING is safe. Once water gets past the roof it can cause drywall damage, wood rot, mold growth and warped hardwood floors, just to name a few. Ceilings are usually not made to hold weight & water is heavy. A flooded ceiling can easily collapse, damaging everything underneath. Replacing a couple loose shingles can save you thousands in water damage repairs and furniture replacement!

Grout and natural stone surfaces should be sealed annually. Sealing grout or natural stones is very easy and inexpensive. Most sealing products can be purchased at any hardware store and simply wiped on with a cloth or sponge.

If you have any questions regarding a preventive maintenance plan for your home, please feel free to call us!
(865) 202-8501

1 comment:

Preventive maintenance is important and most of the home owners and property manager must also realize that this process is important to catch the problems early on and get them repaired at a much lower cost than to allow the problems to grow and lead towards expensive roof replacement.http://mydfwroofer.com/roofing-fort-worth/

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Universal Construction of Tennessee is a locally owned and operated home improvement company located in, and serving the greater Knoxville area. We are licensed, insured, and bonded. Call us today to receive your free estimate!